Archive for April 2014 (6 posts)

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The online magazine Slate recently featured a fascinating piece on the etymology of the word dude. Contrary to its modern usage as an informal word for your regular, Average Joe guy, in its original late-19th century context a dude typically referred to an effete, vacuous young man of affected manners and dress. In other words, a dude was a dandy.

The association of the original dude with a dandy is no accident: thanks to research conducted by Gerald Cohen and Barry Popik, we now know that the word dude likely derived from the “Doodle Dandy” in the song “Yankee Doodle.” As Cohen summarizes in the introduction to the October/November 2013 issue (“Dude Revisited: A Preliminary Compilation”) of Comments on Etymology, referenced in the Slate podcast:

‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ produced a blend of dood(le) and dandy to doody in some New England towns prior to 1883, with shortening to dude/dood by 1883. (3)

While exploring the detailed etymological history of dude offers its own rich rewards (see the end of this post for suggested readings, foremost of which is the aforementioned issue of Comments on Etymology), what most intrigued me about Slate‘s podcast was the hosts’ brief discussion of poetry mocking the dude phenomenon that proliferated in late-19th century newspapers. Apparently, dudes were the object of intense ridicule among the general populace, and mocking them in newspaper articles and poems was a common occurrence. In fact, the word dude appears to have been popularized by a poem written by Robert Sale Hill and published in the January 14, 1883, issue (p. 9) of The New York World. The poem, “The True Origin and History of ‘The Dude,'” is available in microfilm through our Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. A scan of it appears below; larger JPEG and PDF files are available as well.

The True Origin and History of “The Dude.” Robert Sale Hill, The New York World. January 14, 1883, p. 9.

The middle of the “pome,” as it is introduced in the newspaper, gives a detailed description of the much-maligned dude:

In form and feature rather young—
Somewhat resembling man, sir—
They flit about and speak a tongue
That is not worth a d——n, sir.
Their features, first I would explain
Are of the washed-out order—
Mild dissipation, feeble brain,
With cigarette smoke border.
Their feathers o’er their brow they bang,
Their cheek resembles leather;
Their style, inclusive, is in slang,
The “Strike me with a feather.”
Their father’s cuff supports a hat—
The head just seen between them;
A coachman’s (riding) coat at that
Envelopes all and screens them;
Save just below the coat is seen,
Where muscles ought to be, sir,
A pair of pipe stems, cased in green,
Skin-tight and half-mast high, sir.
To this please add a pointed shoe,
Verandas built around it;
A necktie, either white or blue . . .

Shortly after Hill’s poem was published, articles, cartoons, and dude doggerel began to appear regularly in newspapers. A number of these have been digitized and can now be searched through the Library of Congress’s historic newspapers collection Chronicling America. Examples of dude doggerel published in 1883 and available through Chronicling America include:

It’s been a while since I provided an update on current state poets laureate. As of this writing, forty-two states have an official position of state poet laureate, while two states, Alaska and Idaho, have a position for “State Writer Laureate” and “Writer-in-Residence,” respectively. The position of state poet laureate or state writer is occupied […]

In celebration of National Poetry Month From the Catbird Seat would like to invite all of our readers to join us on April 30th, noon to 1 p.m. EDT, for a free, online program, “Bringing Poetry to the Public.” Our very own Rob Casper will welcome special guests Mike Melia (PBS NewsHour Senior Broadcast Producer) […]

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, Missing me one place search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you. —Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass So much of children’s literature is grounded in poetry. From the ever-popular nursery rhyme to the the famous Green Eggs and Ham, children’s literature relies on verse to teach lessons, impart history, […]

Tonight the next segment of Natasha Trethewey’s second-year project, “Where Poetry Lives,” airs on the PBS NewsHour. For this segment, Natasha traveled to her native Mississippi to participate in the 14th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, led by Congressman John Lewis. This segment marks a turn for the project: the first four highlighted poetry programs with […]

The following guest post is by Margaret Wood, a senior legal research specialist at the Library of Congress. It is cross posted on the Law Library’s blog, In Custodia Legis. Magna Carta is coming to the Library of Congress in November 2014! This document is regarded as being one of the foundations of representative government […]

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